SavvySugar

On Board and Ready To Buy

SavvySugar — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:41:23 -0800

In a new move to up their retail, airlines may soon be offering more in-flight opportunities to purchase anything from limousine services to Broadway theater tickets. Though The New York Times reports that only American Airlines has begun limited testing of the retail concept, nearly all airline carriers have confirmed that they are planning to unveil similar expanded retail offerings on flights.

So why expand retail, especially in the midst of a recession? Well, according to SkyMall president Christine Aguilera, airline passengers are "some of the greatest consumers on the planet," simply because they've got nowhere else to go and nothing else to do. This aspect makes "onboard" retail unique because, frankly, "operators are able to lock their doors with their shoppers still inside."

To learn more about airline retail, keep reading

Airline In-Flight Meals and Snacks: Guess How Much?

SavvySugar — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 10:30:56 -0700

You've packed everything on your list (and then some) and managed to keep your luggage underweight. But wait, you forgot to pack snacks before leaving the house! You'll have to resort to the in-flight menu to cure your hunger pangs. Can you guess how much some airplane food will set you back?

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Will You Pay $10 to Board Your Southwest Flight Sooner?

SavvySugar — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 12:00:46 -0700

Known for its fee-free ways and lack of assigned seats, Southwest has added an unexpected upgrade option that's got people talking. The Early-Bird Check-In costs $10 one-way and buys passengers a spot in line behind Business Select and elite-level frequent fliers but in front of everyone else, including families with small children.

Regular Southwest passengers are used to checking in 24-hours before their flights to score a place in the "A" group and board the plane first, but the new Early-Bird option - available 25 hours before takeoff- might put a snag in these expectations. Southwest's officials say paying the extra $10 might land you a place within the first 30 people to board, but there are no guarantees.

I'll be interested to see how this new option plays out. Would you play $10 to board the flight in the first group?

Take a Fall/Winter Trip For Less on Alaska and Horizon Airlines

SavvySugar — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 15:20:15 -0700

Two more airlines have joined the ring in the fight for Fall and Winter travel business. Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air (both subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group Inc.) announced a fare sale that in most cases covers trips over the next five months - pretty generous. The cheapest flights are those between West Coast cities, which are selling for as low as $29 one way.

Tickets must be purchased by Sept. 10 for travel from Sept. 14 through Feb. 10, except for tickets to Mexico and Hawaii, which are good for travel though Dec. 16. Tickets require a 14-day advance purchase (excluding travel to Mexico and Hawaii), so if you want to get away mid-September then shop the fare sale ASAP. Check out the website for details.

Would You Welcome a Charge For Carry-On Bags?

SavvySugar — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 06:30:47 -0700

Without fail, every time I'm on a plane I witness a flight attendant shoving someone's over-sized carry-on into the overhead compartment. Checked luggage charges are pretty much unavoidable (unless you fly Southwest), and passengers are trying to skip the extra fee by jamming as much stuff as possible into the biggest carry-on bags. I appreciate the fact that people are trying to save the cash, but I'll admit, the practice does get under my skin when it starts eating up everyone's loading and unloading time.

Passengers aren't going to stop bringing luggage and there's not much left for airlines to place additional fees, so there's speculation that carry-on bags will be the next target. Some passengers might welcome the charge which could create a smoother experience overall, while others would undoubtedly take offense to this type of fee.

JetBlue All-You-Can-Fly Passes Sold Out Early

SavvySugar — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 04:30:51 -0700

You snooze, you lose. JetBlue's all-you-can-fly pass had its share of haters who questioned its value, but there were more than enough enthusiasts that were gung-ho for the deal. The special passes sold out before the promotion was scheduled to expire, and a JetBlue spokeswoman said, "We wanted to ensure those who bought the pass could get the flights they want, so we capped the number of passes we would sell."

I imagine the passes were popular with business travelers, workers with banked vacation time, and couples in long-distance relationships, and apparently the special brought out some interesting folks who just love to spend time in airports. Time tracked down aerophile and freelance IT consultant Seth Miller who plans to board 10 flights in 60 hours without ever leaving the airport. While JetBlue isn't profiting from people like Miller, overall it expects the promotion will "generate a fair amount of revenue."

Fly to and From New York This Fall For Less

SavvySugar — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 04:30:12 -0700

There's a little pattern forming in the clouds. After Southwest announced its fare sale to encourage travel during the slower upcoming season, American Airlines came out with its own reduced fare plan. The handful of deals involving travel to and from NYC are pretty attractive.

The airline will sell some seats for $69 each way between Miami and New York; $84 each way from Chicago; $99 from Dallas-Fort Worth; and $109 from San Francisco and Los Angeles. The promotion covers travel from Sept. 15 through Dec. 12, though of course the days around Thanksgiving are excluded from the sale. Tickets are on sale through Friday.

Southwest Launches Fare Sale to Boost Fall Sales

SavvySugar — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 04:30:14 -0700

Southwest wants to encourage air travel over the upcoming months and launched a fare sale to incentivize customers. The airline isn't totally desperate for business and blacked out peak travel days, including Nov. 24 through Dec. 1 and Dec. 18 through Jan. 4. Here are some highlights from the sale.

Fares apply to flights from Sept. 9 through Jan. 7 but don't include Fridays and Sunday travel.
You must purchase tickets by Sept. 3.
Look for one-way tickets for as low as $59, including routes like Las Vegas-Phoenix and Baltimore-Manchester, New Hampshire.
Keep an eye out for $89 one-way fares between Los Angeles and Seattle, and $109 one-way seats on flights like Dallas-Chicago and New York LaGuardia-Fort Myers, Florida.

What Happens to Stuff You Forget on the Plane

SavvySugar — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 08:30:54 -0700

Kim Kardashian was lucky when she recovered the passport she left on the plane in South Africa last month, but most travelers aren't so fortunate in retrieving their forgotten valuables. If you've ever left something on the plane and wondered what happened to it, chances are it didn't end up in a black hole or even in someone else's possession; it's probably in the airline's lost and found warehouse.

Southwest has a warehouse where it collects all the stuff passengers forget, including coats, books, car seats, electronics (they find about five iPods every day), hundreds of cell phones, and the number one forgotten item - sunglasses. The warehouse estimates that 120,000 items come through every year, and only 10 percent of the belongings find their way back to their owners because few passengers call to track down lost items. After a few months, items are donated to the Salvation Army. Check out Southwest's enormous lost and found in the video below.

Source: Flickr User aaronescobar

Guess How Much: Woman Flies Her Dog Business Class

SavvySugar — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 06:30:49 -0700

The things some people do for love. Rivkah, owner of a boxer named Orchuck, paid a lot of money to fly the pooch and his vet business class from Paris to Tel Aviv on El Al airlines. The doting owner commented, "All that mattered to me was to have my baby with me during the flight so that I can take care of him. He is my child, not a dog. And he deserves the best."

Can you guess how much Rivkah paid for her dog and the vet to fly business class? Keep in mind the airline had to remove several seats to make space for Orchuk's cage.

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